Modest João Almeida into the World Championships road race: "It will be quite impossible to follow the strongest when they attack"
Cycling
João Almeida is a man for the Grand Tours but on this day, he will be leading the Portuguese national team at the World Championships, coming in as the brightest climbing prospect within the team. However, he is modest when it comes to his ambitions, in relation to the races that are more controlled.
“After withdrawing from the Vuelta I only had to stop for a week. I recovered and immediately got back on the bike. The training period went well and I’m very happy to be at the start of this World Championship," he told CyclingPro.net this morning at the start. "I want to try to stay at the front, the route is very tough and it’s like a Classic. The idea is to do my best, and also try to do something good. For me, however, it’s something new, since I don’t do the Classics very often.”
A rider that often struggles with positioning and explosive racing, it is not an ideal race for the UAE Team Emirates rider. But the race does feature over 4000 meters of climbing and this will also mean that into the decisive moments of the race the peloton will not be as numerous as in the regular classics. With Rui Costa lacking his best form, Almeida is the natural choice to lead the country's ambitions for the worlds. He was a modest 24th in the time-trial and his form is also relatively unknown at the time - with him also aiming for Il Lombardia in the next few weeks.
“I think it will be quite impossible to follow the strongest when they attack. So I will have to try to anticipate my eventual action," he says. "But, of course, everything will depend on my legs. If I have them, I will do it, but it won’t be that easy.”
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- Based on what argument?Mistermaumau21-12-2024
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- Lot of contradictory information floating around world cup contenders, someone should do some tidying up.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
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- The likelihood of RE improving enough at this point to outclass TP or JV is less than zero.verve82521-12-2024
- That’s the most stupid thing I’ve read for a long time, did you not go to school and learn even the most basic physics? Aero depends on one thing only, drag, drag depends speed and the relationship is squared and apart from maybe at zero or the speed of sound or due to side winds that relationship is valid at all speeds, it dies not “suddenly” start at a magic number. Very simply, the faster you go the more the effect becomes important. If you think 25km/h is needed to have noticeable effects you’re delusional, athletic WR are cancelled as soon as winds top 2m/s that’s 7.2km/h, why because the assistance is already too important at that speed and the times prove it. You don’t even consider wind which can significantly increase the effective speed for aerodynamics and you underestimate speed of climbs, 6% is ridden more at 30 than 25km/h, a speed at which early generation high rims were considered to have more advantages than disadvantages. And finally, as in normal races you can’t just switch bikes according to terrain, it’s pretty pointless to discuss climbs as a separate situation, the aero will have justified itself plenty during the rest of the ride.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- If you look at how much TP progressed in that 1 1/2 years you can no longer say that’s nothing. If Remco improves as much he’s a challenger!Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- Froome wishing to ride the Vuelta...he won't even be selected for the team!frieders320-12-2024
- Keep telling yourself that Remco but you not only have Tadeg to beat but Jonas!frieders320-12-2024
- Seems farfetched - I agree. Mas has beaten him once. Giro d'Emillia I think - 2022mobk20-12-2024